Nanette Gonzales We joined Devil's Playground for a special performance of Star Girls, The Original Burlesque Show. Stormtroopers filled The Dragonfly to catch a glimpse of the vixens and celebrate May 4th, the unofficial Star Wars Day. The evening included a Star Wars-themed art show, live painting, costume contest and music by the Alien Cantina Band. A portion of the proceeds went to BustedFoundation.org, continuing the fight against breast cancer. Click here to see all the photos from "Star Girls, The Original Burlesque Show @ Devil's Playground."
3/50

Jared Cowan If you forgot, or somehow didn’t know that L.A. has one of the country’s longest running shadowcasts of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, well, as the ensemble would lovingly say, “fuck you.” Sins O' the Flesh, L.A.’s Rocky Horror troupe, dedicated to debauchery and all things fishnet, has been stirring up mayhem at the NuArt Theatre every Saturday at midnight since 1988. When calculated, this totals over 1,300 performances, making Sins O’ the Flesh the longest running Rocky Horror shadowcast to have performed at the same theatre since the group’s inception. That’s a lot of converted “virgins.”
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is still relevant today, and Sins O’ the Flesh puts on a high-energy, deliciously filthy, hysterical show and not for the money (since they don’t get paid), but for the love of the film and the Rocky Horror community. The cast and crew provide costumes, makeup, props, and set pieces for themselves. They also work their asses off on that stage. So, dammit, when they ask for donations at the end of the night, take into consideration the great fucking time you had and remember you’re not going to get this experience anywhere else. Click here to see all the photos from "Rocky Horror is Alive and Well at the NuArt."
4/50

Amy Scattergood Built for Beverly Hills' centennial party on April, 27, Guittard executive pastry chef Donald Wressell's cake (a strikingly faithful replica of the Beverly Hills City Hall Tower), would stand 9 feet high, 12 feet wide and 24 feet long, be composed of more than 700 pounds of chocolate and, when it finally came time to cut it, be cut into 15,000 pieces of chocolate layer cake. It also took months to make. Click here to see all the photos from "A Birthday Cake For 15,000."
7/50

Shannon Cottrell Super Bar was back with an epic Star Wars themed night. The evening included Star Wars stand-up from the Kings of Cosplay Comedy featuring comedians Patrick Ian Moore, Derek Reid, Tommy Bechtold, Stephanie Pressman and That Chris Gore of PodCRASH as well as a May the 4th Be With You Art show by Michael Ulrich & Geekspeak TV. Click here to see all the photos from "Jabba's Party Barge @ Complex."
10/50

Nanette Gonzales Fans of '90s cult classic Clueless dressed to impress at a free screening of the film, put on in conjunction with LA Film Fest's 20th anniversary. The pre-festival screening, held at L.A. Live, included a Q&A session with film director, Amy Heckerling and stars Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash and Elisa Donovan. Clueless costume designer Mona May joined the group to judge the costume contest, and Brittany Murphy's father, Angelo Bertolotti attended as well. Click here to see all the photos from "As If! Clueless Party and Costume Contest."
14/50

Hannah Verbeuren Some know him as the supposed inspiration for James Franco's character in Spring Breakers, but with his most recent album, Neon Icon, RiFF RAFF continues to make a name all his own. His shiny new shark teeth grill and sexy dancers partied in Hollywood at the House of Blues to an enthusiastic crowd. Click here to see all the photos from "Riff Raff @ House of Blues."
17/50

Ted Soqui An off-duty Los Angeles police officer was killed on May 9, 2014 at nearly the same spot where Nicholas Lee died on patrol two months prior, the LAPD's Rosario Herrera told L.A. Weekly. A cement truck appeared to have crushed the pickup in which the off-duty cop was either driving or riding. Click here to see all the photos from "LAPD Wreck on Loma Vista Drive."
18/50

Jared Cowan Evenly pouring sauce on the competition chicken thighs
Barbecue masters from all over SoCal gathered at the Queen Mary in Long Beach on Saturday for the West Coast BBQ Classic, now in its third year. There was plenty of meat for the masses, as well as watermelon and cobbler-eating contents to keep everyone sufficiently full. Who were deemed the Grand Champions? Find out here. Click here to see all the photos from "West Coast BBQ Classic 2014."
26/50

Michele McManmon Stevie Nicks was honored at the 62nd Annual BMI Pop Awards with The Beverly Wilshire hosting some of today's hottest musicians, producers, and songwriters. Artists Sheryl Crow, Lisa Loeb, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Lady Antebellum, The Lumineers, Florida Georgia Line, Shakira, Vanessa Carleton, Adam Levine and others came out to celebrate. Some stars took home awards, some performed, and some just sat back and enjoyed Stevie Nicks singing and dancing while giving her acceptance speech. Click here to see all the photos from "All Hail Stevie Nicks."
27/50

Jared Cowan Varieties of lox, smoked sturgeon, whitefish and sable, among others, are all important cultural delicacies which date back generations to European countries, specifically Russia. Immigrants brought with them their methods of smoking food and made a huge culinary impact that can still be tasted today in many trendy brunch spots around town or posh hotels in Beverly Hills.
However, when you sit down at a restaurant and order some lox, you don't always know where it’s coming from. Most of the time it’s not even sliced correctly. Supermarkets carry pre-packaged smoked fish containing preservatives and high levels of salt. If you really want to know what you’re getting in terms of smoked fish, you need to head to a specialty market. Here are the best ones our fair city got going. Click here to see all the photos from "L.A.'s Incredible Smoked Fish Scene."
28/50

Timothy Norris British band Royal Blood made their Los Angeles debut at The Roxy Theatre in support of the the release of their EP Out Of The Black. Their full full is due later this summer. The Last Internationale, featuring Delila Paz, Edgey Pires and Brad Wilk opened the show. Click here to see all the photos from "Royal Blood @ The Roxy."
30/50

Shannon Cottrell Hundreds of dedicated fans and art enthusiasts stood in line for the opening of the Ghostbusters 30th Aniversary art show at Gallery 1988. The traveling art show including original artworks by Ryan McCann, Nicole Guice, Bruce White, Lora Zombie, Joey Spiotto, Lawrence Yang, Steff Bomb, Aaron Jasinski, Tyke Witnes and more. The crowds went crazy for the limited addition prints and apparel by Joshua Budich, Tom Whalen, Dan Mumford, Dave Perillo, Anthony Petrie, Johnny Cupcakes, Rebel 8 and more. Fans couldn't miss the opportunity to take selfies with the a 7-foot tall sculpture of Slimer being captured in a ghost trap, which was created by the L.A.-based fabrication and design studio, Pretty In Plastic. The show runs at Gallery 1988 (West) until June 1, 2014. Click here to see all the photos from "Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Art Show @ Gallery 1988."
32/50

Lina Lecaro The coolest corridor in Hollywood threw a rocking mega-bash on Sunday with a host of bands behind Velvet Margarita Cantina, along with DJs at St. Felix bar and restaurant. There was also free barbecue and plenty of boozer hijinx along the famed street, and the back alley behind it. Look for more of these badass block parties on the boulevard all summer long. Click here to see all the photos from "Lina in L.A.- Cahuenga Block Party."
34/50

Anne Fishbein POT opened two months ago in Korea­town’s new Line Hotel, itself a massively ambitious project. A large boutique hotel in the heart of Koreatown, it proclaims to anyone who hasn’t noticed that Korean culture, and specifically Korean youth culture, is fast becoming one of the most dominant forces in Los Angeles. Choi has called POT an ode to Korea, but he also says that it’s a reflection of the fact that second-generation Koreans have a vibe all their own. Click here to see all the photos from "Roy Choi’s POT at the Line Hotel."
40/50

Gustavo Turner The Academy of Magical Arts presented their annual "Magic of Japan" program at their world-famous home, The Magic Castle in Hollywood. Organized by the Castle's best known Japanese magician member Shoot Ogawa, the event showcased "the style, humor and variety in Japanese Magic." Visiting magicians at the diverse venues within the Castle ranged from the outrageous HAMAchan and his assistant Miu, to card wizard Masataka Jimbo, naughty comedian Toritto, "maternally"-themed magician Kikuti Mammy, teen sensations Youri and Aki, and "soothing," Marilyn Monroe-obsessed magician Wakaba. (This was a also a rare chance to get a glimpse behind the mysteries of the Castle itself, as the LA Weekly received special dispensation from the Academy of Magical Arts to photograph within the notoriously camera-shy building.) Click here to see all the photos from ""The Magic of Japan" at Magic Castle."
44/50

Brian Erzen Good vibes were in abundance at the Lightning in a Bottle "transformational festival" put on each year by the Do LaB. The festival took place over Memorial Day weekend from May 22-26 at the San Antonio Recreation Area in Bradley, CA. Enjoy these photos that capture what makes LiB such a magical place. Click here to see all the photos from "The Magic of Lightning in a Bottle 2014."
45/50

Michele McManmon The L.A. Zoo is the place to have fun and hang with cuddly (and not so cuddly!) creatures. Not to be missed is the Rainforest exhibition that houses toucans, otters, piranhas and other animals from those distinct global regions. Plus, you can always hang with the infamous Reggie the Alligator, sit next to a visiting peacock, or ride a Praying Mantis on the Carousel. Click here to see all the photos from "Animal Style: A Day at the L.A. Zoo."
46/50

Gavin Heffernan Astro timelapse photographer Gavin Heffernan trekked to Joshua Tree National Park in hopes of capturing precious frames of the highly-anticipated, never-before-seen Camelopardalid meteor shower. While the astrological event wasn't quite as grand as its hype, Heffernan was fortunate enough to capture an incredible strike over a beautiful Milky Way, as well as several other stunning images. See an array of long-exposure shots captured over the weekend, plus desert sunset vistas and some of Heffernan's best psychedelic "star trails" designs, created by tracing the trajectory of stars across the earth's natural rotation. Click here to see all the photos from "Camelopardalid Meteor Shower as Seen from Joshua Tree."
47/50

Lina Lecaro Memorial Weekend saw the return of one of L.A.'s premiere costume events -- the Myth Masque Ball -- this year at a grand new locale, The Los Angeles Theatre. From fairies to unicorns to nymphs to mermaids, a myriad of mythical creatures paraded throughout the elaborate fantasy world. Behold the most beauteous, beastly and simply best ball looks from the event. Click here to see all the photos from "Lina in L.A. - Myth Masque Ball."
49/50

Anne Fishbein Porcini mushroom cannelloni at Union.
In many ways, Union, in Old Town Pasadena, is the perfect Tuesday-night restaurant. With its vintage-storefront location, brick-walled interior and large windows looking out over Union Street, it feels like a restaurant on Main Street in small-town America. Seating only 49 people max, it’s also modest, and that intimacy, paired with the simplicity of the room, creates an atmosphere of easygoing comfort. The food Bruce Kalman is cooking, an ode to Italy through a Californian lens, is pretty much exactly what a relaxed weeknight out calls for. Click here to see all the photos from "Bruce Kalman's Union."
50/50

May 2014 in L.A. Weekly Photos

Unless you're some sort of hip sorcerer, capable of manipulating space and time, there's simply no way to see every cool thing that happens in L.A. each month. That's where we come in. This month, we had birthday cake with 15,000 other people, tasted the best BBQ in the West, got blasted at Star Wars burlesque, and still hit up a Harry Potter roller skating party before it was all said and done. Here's your month of May in L.A. Weekly photos.

Unless you're some sort of hip sorcerer, capable of manipulating space and time, there's simply no way to see every cool thing that happens in L.A. each month. That's where we come in. This month, we had birthday cake with 15,000 other people, tasted the best BBQ in the West, got blasted at Star Wars burlesque, and still hit up a Harry Potter roller skating party before it was all said and done. Here's your month of May in L.A. Weekly photos.